Mattis says "jury is still out" on successful women in combat jobs

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said the "jury is still out" on whether women can succeed in combat roles.

(AP)

The jury is whether a woman can excel in the infantry trades, given that their numbers are insufficient, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recently told students at the Virginia Military Institute.

Mattis said he had asked the Army and Marine Corps leaders to provide information to determine whether serving women in close combat was a strength or weakness, the Associated Press reported.

"There are some fearless young women who are getting into this business, but they are too few," said Mattis during a visit to VMI in Lexington, Virginia. "It's clear that the jury is there to do it, but what we're trying to do is give it every chance to succeed if it can."

Mattis said the issue must be resolved by objective military officers who understand that the service is open to all in response to a question from a student who described his classmates as "ferocious". does not make sense. "

Mattis compared the problem to someone who was breaking into a house and had to decide "who catches the baseball bat" to protect the kids and "who picks up the phone to call 911", has reported the newspaper. He never answered the question of what is the right decision.

The AP said the army and the Marine Corps both acknowledged that the number of women looking for an infantry job is low and that some have struggled to overcome the physically demanding workout.

In August, 26 Navy enlisted women and one female officer served as infantry roles, said the Marine Corps. At the branch level, the number of women serving in previously male-only units increased from 254 last year to 382 this year.

In addition, women's navies are now allowed to attend the once-male Navy Combat Training Battalion at Camp Pendleton, California. Previously, they received combat training at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

In the army, there are 51 infantry officers and 253 women enlisted. In addition, 51 women occupy officer positions and enlisted in the army reserve and 17 women graduated from the Army Rangers two-month school.

As a result of the growth, Army leaders decided this year to allow women to serve in infantry and armored units at three other military bases, Fort Carson, Colorado, Fort Bliss, Texas and Fort Campbell. according to the Military Times.

Previously, integrated units were only permitted in Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The door for women to serve in combat roles was inaugurated in 2013 by former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. The Marine Corps rebuffed the idea and recommended that the branch be exempted from including women in some infantry and ground combat units.

In 2015, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter rejected the idea and ordered that all combat jobs be open to women.

The Associated Press contributed to this report